Who is No. 1? Book breaks down Manitoba's best hockey players

Who is the number one Manitoba hockey player of all time? A Winnipeg author says it is goalie Terry Sawchuk.

"He was an amazing goaltender. He is considered to be one of, if not the greatest goaltender of all time," said Ty Dilello on CBC Radio's Weekend Morning Show.

It was one of the easier decisions in his new book Golden Boys: The Top 50 Manitoba Hockey Players of All Time.

To coincide with the 100th anniversary of the NHL, Dilello decided to look through Manitoba's "astronomical" contributions to hockey.

"A list like this really shows you how much talent our province has produced in hockey," he said.

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It's the fourth book for the 24-year-old author and history student at the University of Winnipeg. But this one certainly wasn't easy.

He started with a base list of players who got their start on the ice in Manitoba as a child. The first list had 70 names, so Dilello consulted with writers, players, historians, coaches, did research online and watched old hockey videos — eventually whittling the number down to 50.

It includes such greats as Jonathan Toews, Andy Bathgate, Ron Hextall and Bobby Clarke.

Dilello said he's sure the book will cause some arguments or at least debate with Manitoba's hockey fans but he hopes that everyone learns something new about the legends.

"I know there is going to be debate on some of the people, but I think it's a pretty accurate list at the end of the day," he said.

The book will be launched on Wednesday at McNally Robinson in Winnipeg.